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Tough

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"TOUGH, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 5 miles (S. E. by E.) from Afford; containing 762 inhabitants. This place is comprised partly in the northern and western portions of the Corrennie range, or "Red hill," and partly in the vale of the river Don, occupying that extension of it called the Vale of Alford. . . The rugged and unequal nature of the surface, which consists of mountains and valleys, and its general elevation of 420 feet above the level of the sea, produce much diversity in the scenery, the climate, and the soil. . . Oats and bear are the kinds of grain raised here; and the green crops consist principally of turnips and potatoes. . . The cattle are a very excellent stock, in general the old Aberdeenshire, crossed with the West Highland and other sorts, and not unfrequently with the Teeswater. About 1000 head are usually kept on the pastures, and the farmers make the fattening of cattle a leading object. . . This place is ecclesiastically in the presbytery of Alford, synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage of Sir John Forbes, Hart. The minister's stipend is £159, of which above a fifth is paid by the exchequer; with manse, and a glebe valued at £7. 10. per annum. Tough church, containin 550 sittings, is a handsome edifice, built in 1838, and conveniently situated for the greater part of the people. . . The parochial school affords instruction in the usual branches; the master has a salary of £25 13. 4., a house, an allowance from the Dick bequest, and £5 fees. A school also, for girls, under the direction of the Kirk Session, receives an auxiliary sum annually from the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. . . More"
[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]

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Cemeteries

A book of monumental inscriptions for this parish is available from the Aberdeen & NE Scotland FHS.

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Churches

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Church Records

Presbytery of Alford - Synod of Aberdeen

Here are details of the Birth, Marriage and Death records for this parish, available on the OPR films.

FilmBirthsMarriagesDeaths
244/11706-18191783-971734-1803
244/2 1706-42 
244/31820-541836-541820-54
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Description & Travel

Here is a detailed description of the parish, written in 1875.

You can see pictures of Tough which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Maps

This parish appears on sheet 37 of the OS Landranger Series, and on sheet 228 of the OS Pathfinder Series.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NJ611113 (Lat/Lon: 57.190571, -2.645216), Tough which are provided by:

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Names, Geographical

Here is a list of place names in the parish.

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Taxation

A booklet containing extracts from the 1696 Poll Book for this parish is available from the Aberdeen & NE Scotland FHS.